The present invention relates to a high-nesting efficiency stock cart for use in transporting commodity products contained in cardboard boxes or the like, or storing or retaining commodity products, etc.
Conventional stock carts, as shown in FIGS. 21(a) and 21(b), are formed by a dolly in which free casters 20 are connected to bottom surfaces of four corner portions of a dolly frame having a generally squared letter-U frame shape or a generally letter-M frame shape in a plan view, and stationary caster 30A are connected to bottom surfaces of opposite side portions of a substantially middle portion of the dolly frame, and by a pair of movable side face frames detachably connected to forward and rearward portions of the dolly (not shown in the drawings). To put such dollies into a nested state for their storage and retention, the nesting thereof is accomplished in a direction of the length of the dollies due to the unidirectionality of the stationary casters.
However, this fashion of nesting needs a great space in the lengthwise direction, and therefore has a problem in efficient use of space.
Hence, an object of the invention is to provide a stock cart capable of being nested in a direction of a shorter dimension of the stock cart.
Accordingly, the invention (1) provides a stock cart including a dolly frame having a nesting construction, free casters attached to bottom surfaces of the dolly frame that are near four corners of the dolly frame, a stationary caster attached to a bottom surface of a substantially intermediate portion of the dolly frame, and a dolly plate pivotably attached to a site that is near a rearward end portion of the dolly frame, wherein the stock cart is nested based on operation of the four free casters after a plane defined by a lower end of the stationary caster is positioned above a plane defined by lower ends of the four free casters by pivoting the dolly plate upward.
Furthermore, the invention (2) provides a stock cart comprising: a dolly frame formed into a generally letter-Z configuration or a generally reversed letter-Z configuration by a support bar that is disposed at a rearward end portion and that has at two ends thereof tubular cylinder portions, a member that is disposed at a forward end portion and is disposed at a predetermined interval apart from the support bar and parallel to the support bar, and a connector member that integrally interconnects an end portion of the member of the forward end portion and an end portion of the support bar of the rearward end portion that are positioned on a diagonal line; forward end portion-side free casters attached to a bottom surface of the member of the forward end portion of the dolly frame; a free caster portion including rearward end portion-side free casters, a free caster support plate that secures and interconnects support brackets of the rearward end portion-side free casters, and a pair of piston portions that are secured above the free casters and that are inserted in the tubular cylinder portions so that the piston portions are slidable in upward and downward directions; a stationary caster attached to a bottom surface of a middle portion of the connector member; a forward end-side side face frame secured at two ends thereof to an end portion of the member of the forward end portion; a rearward end-side side face frame two end portions of which are secured to or detachably disposed on outer sides of the cylinder portions; and a dolly plate having a rectangular dolly plate body, and a pivotal contact portion that is pivotably supported by the support bar of the rearward end portion, the stock cart being characterized in that the pivotal contact portion of the dolly plate has a support bar bearing groove, and a plate stopper end portion having a quadrangular section, and a configuration of the dolly plate stopper end portion is formed so that when the dolly plate is placed on the dolly frame, a distance between the support bar and a rearward end surface of the dolly plate is greater than a distance between the support bar and the free caster support plate.
Furthermore, the invention (3) provides a stock cart comprising: a dolly frame formed into a generally letter-Z configuration or a generally reversed letter-Z configuration by a support bar that is disposed at a rearward end portion and that has at two ends thereof tubular cylinder portions, a member that is disposed at a forward end portion and is disposed at a predetermined interval apart from the support bar and parallel to the support bar, and a connector member that integrally interconnects an end portion of the member of the forward end portion and an end portion of the support bar of the rearward end portion that are positioned on a diagonal line; forward end portion-side free casters attached to a bottom surface of the member of the forward end portion of the dolly frame; a free caster portion including rearward end portion-side free casters, a free caster support member that secures and interconnects support brackets of the rearward end portion-side free casters, and a pair of piston portions that are secured above the free casters and that are inserted in the tubular cylinder portions so that the piston portions are slidable in upward and downward directions; a stationary caster attached to a bottom surface of a middle portion of the connector member; a forward end-side side face frame secured at two ends thereof to an end portion of the member of the forward end portion; a rearward end-side side face frame two end portions of which are secured to or detachably disposed on outer sides of the cylinder portions; and a dolly plate having a rectangular dolly plate body, and a pivotal contact portion that is pivotably supported by the support bar of the rearward end portion, the stock cart being characterized in that a support bar bearing groove is formed on a lower surface side of the pivotal contact portion, and a stopper piece is formed on an upper surface of the pivotal contact portion, and the dolly plate is connected to the rearward end-side side face frame so that a plane defined by a lower end of the stationary caster is above a plane defined by lower ends of the four free casters by bringing the stopper piece and the free caster support member into contact.
Furthermore, the invention (4) provides a stock cart wherein the dolly frame is formed into a generally letter-H configuration by a support bar that is disposed at a rearward end portion and that has at two ends thereof tubular cylinder portions, a member that is disposed at a forward end portion and is disposed at a predetermined interval apart from the support bar and parallel to the support bar, and a connector member that integrally interconnects a middle portion of the member of the forward end portion and a middle portion of the support bar of the rearward end portion that are positioned on a center line of the member of the forward end portion and the support bar of the rearward end portion.
Furthermore, the invention (5) provides a stock cart comprising: a dolly frame formed into a generally letter-H configuration by a member that is disposed at a rearward end portion and that has in a middle portion thereof a hole extending upward and rearward through the member, a member that is disposed at a forward end portion and is disposed at a predetermined interval apart from the member of the rearward end portion and parallel to the member of the rearward end portion, and a connector member that integrally interconnects a middle portion of the member of the forward end portion and a middle portion of the member of the rearward end portion that are positioned on a center line of the member of the forward end portion and the member of the rearward end portion; forward end portion-side free casters attached to a bottom surface of the member of the forward end portion of the dolly frame; a free caster portion including rearward end portion-side free casters, a free caster support member that secures and interconnects support brackets of the rearward end portion-side free casters, a support column portion standing from an upper surface of the free caster support member, and a support bar extending perpendicularly across a distal end of the support column portion and having a pair of right and left support shafts, the support column portion loosely fitted in a hole of the member of the rearward end portion of the dolly frame so that the support column portion and the member of the rearward end portion are movable relative to each other in upward and downward directions; a stationary caster attached to a bottom surface of a middle portion of the connector member; a forward end-side side face frame secured to the member of the forward end portion; a rearward end-side side face frame secured to a side face frame holder portion that has a shaft-like protrusion and that is coupled to the member of the rearward end portion; and a dolly plate having a rectangular dolly plate body that is connected at a rearward end portion-side end portion thereof with a pair of pivotal connector plates that are pivotably supported by a support shaft of the support bar and the shaft-like protrusions attached to the side face frame holder portion, the stock cart being characterized in that the dolly plate is connected to the rearward end-side side face frame so that by pivoting the dolly plate with a support portion of the shaft-like protrusion serving as a fulcrum, the support column portion is spaced apart from the member of the rearward end portion of the dolly frame, and a plane defined by a lower end of the stationary caster is positioned above a plane defined by lower ends of the four free casters.
Furthermore, the invention (6) provides a stock cart, wherein the dolly frame is formed into a generally letter-Z configuration or a generally reversed letter-Z configuration by a member that is disposed at a rearward end portion and that has in a middle portion thereof a hole extending upward and rearward through the member, a member that is disposed at a forward end portion and is disposed at a predetermined interval apart from the member of the rearward end portion and parallel to the member of the rearward end portion, and a connector member that integrally interconnects an end portion of the member of the forward end portion and an end portion of the member of the rearward end portion that are positioned on a diagonal line.
Furthermore, the invention (7) provides a stock cart wherein in a moving state, the stock cart becomes a six-wheel cart, and can be moved in a fashion of a seesaw with the middle-positioned stationary caster being a center, and can be freely turned in direction, and when the stock cart is to be nested, the dolly plate is stood up so that a ground contact plane defined by a lower end of the stationary caster is positioned above a plane defined by lower ends of the free casters and, thus, the stationary caster does not contact a ground surface but becomes idle, and the stock cart is movable only on the four free casters.